Maternal vaginal and fecal microbiota in later pregnancy contribute to child fecal microbiota development in the ECHO cohort

Tiange Liu; Amii M Kress; Justine Debelius; Ni Zhao; Ekaterina Smirnova; Sanjukta Bandyopadhyay; Kevin Bonham; Sarah S Comstock; Steven Gill; James E Gern; Daphne Koinis-Mitchell; Vanja Klepac-Ceraj; Kathleen Lee-Sarwar; Augusto A Litonjua; Kimberly McKee; Kathryn McCauley; Thomas G O'Connor; Christian Rosas-Salazar; Kristin Scheible; Joseph B Stanford; Brianna Moore; Lisa P Jacobson; Noel T Mueller; program collaborators for Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2025.112211

Maternal vaginal and fecal microbiota in later pregnancy contribute to child fecal microbiota development in the ECHO cohort

Liu T, Kress AM, Debelius J, Zhao N, Smirnova E, Bandyopadhyay S, Bonham K, Comstock SS, Gill S, Gern JE, Koinis-Mitchell D, Klepac-Ceraj V, Lee-Sarwar K, Litonjua AA, McKee K, McCauley K, O'Connor TG, Rosas-Salazar C, Scheible K, Stanford JB, Moore B, Jacobson LP, Mueller NT, program collaborators for Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes

Published April 18, 2025 iScience, 28(4), 112211

DOI 10.1016/j.isci.2025.112211 PMID 40241748 PMC PMC12003000

Abstract

There is growing interest in the use of microbial-seeding interventions to mitigate the impacts of prenatal antibiotics, C-section, and lack of breastfeeding on mother-child microbe sharing. However, the relative importance of maternal vaginal vs. fecal microbiota in this process is unclear. Analyzing 16S rRNA sequences from five US birth cohorts, we found that maternal vaginal and fecal microbiota became more similar as pregnancy progressed, and both niches influenced the child's fecal microbiota. The relative contribution of maternal vaginal microbiota increased when vaginal sampling occurred later in gestation. As children aged from birth to 5 years, their fecal microbiota increasingly resembled their mother's fecal microbiota as compared to vaginal microbiota. Patterns of sharing appeared to differ by prenatal antibiotic use, birth mode (C-section vs. vaginal), and breastfeeding. Our findings enhance understanding of niche-specific mother-child microbe sharing and may inform microbial-seeding interventions. Metagenomic studies are needed to identify specific shared strains.

Topics

Birth and Delivery

Cesarean Birth Cesarean Indications and Rates

Birth and Delivery › Cesarean Birth › Cesarean Indications and Rates

Tiange Liu, Amii M Kress, Justine Debelius, Ni Zhao, Ekaterina Smirnova, Sanjukta Bandyopadhyay, Kevin Bonham, Sarah S Comstock, Steven Gill, James E Gern, Daphne Koinis-Mitchell, Vanja Klepac-Ceraj, Kathleen Lee-Sarwar, Augusto A Litonjua, Kimberly McKee, Kathryn McCauley, Thomas G O'Connor, Christian Rosas-Salazar, Kristin Scheible, Joseph B Stanford, Brianna Moore, Lisa P Jacobson, Noel T Mueller

T Liu, A Kress, J Debelius, N Zhao, E Smirnova, S Bandyopadhyay, K Bonham, S Comstock, Steve Gill, S Gill, Jim Gern, Jimmy Gern, J Gern, D Koinis-Mitchell, V Klepac-Ceraj, K Lee-Sarwar, A Litonjua, K McKee, Kathy McCauley, Kate McCauley, K McCauley, Tom O'Connor, T O'Connor, C Rosas-Salazar, K Scheible, Joe Stanford, Joey Stanford, J Stanford, B Moore, L Jacobson, N Mueller

PMID 40241748 40241748 DOI 10.1016/j.isci.2025.112211 10.1016/j.isci.2025.112211 Liu et al. 2025, Liu 2025

Maternal vaginal and fecal microbiota in later pregnancy contribute to child fecal microbiota development in the ECHO cohort

Abstract

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